Innovative 3D Miniature Emitter Antennas for AR/VR & Motion Capture Applications
Leading developer of 3D SMD receiver antennas, PREMO, has announced the release of new miniature 3D emitter antennas which are designed for use in AR and VR devices as well as in devices that use motion capture (e.g. headsets, controllers, suits, gloves, etc.). The 3DTX10 and 3DTX08 are small antennas that offer excellent radiation performance and isotropy relative to size, and are fully industrialized for SMT assembly lines.
Electromagnetic Motion Tracking or Motion Capture technology enables the real-time precise tracking of the position and orientation of objects in space. Today, this has become a popular technology used for tracking in video-games and for industrial/commercial applications. And while several hardware technologies can be used for tracking, electromagnetic technology offers some clear advantages in terms of line of sight, latency and precision.
The base of an electromagnetic motion capture system is a 3D emitter antenna that creates a three-dimensional magnetic field (using different low frequencies for each one of the three axis of the space). When an object that bears a receiver (or sensor) antenna enters the electromagnetic field, the electromagnetic tracking system can calculate accurately and in real time the object position and orientation in the environment. It does so using the information of rotation and position obtained by the receiver coil by means of a three-dimensional vector calculation system.
PREMO offers both emitter and receiver 3D antennas for these applications. These come in various sizes, depending on the target range, size and energy consumption. The new 3DTX10 and 3DTX08 family are useful to provide very high precision motion capture in the range of 20-50cm, depending on the Rx-sensor (6x6mm to 11×11 or 15x15mm) in use. The very same approach is used to capture movement of full body suits or gloves. In theses 6DoF applications (real high-precision and no limitations in terms of line of sight, ultra-low latency and lower consumption is needed), the size of the emitter antenna is preferred to be as small as possible. The 3DTX08 and 3DTX10 were designed keeping this in mind.
The antennas will be delivered (for mass production) in tape & reel packs for SMT pick & place assembly according to EIA 481 (175 pcs/reel or 140 pcs/reel depending of the size 3DTX08 or 3DTX10). They have been engineered to be RoHS and REACH-compliant and have also been tested for endurance to comply with AECQ200 standards for automotive and IEC 68000 standards for industrial, wearable and general applications.
PREMO has full expertise in mass-production manufacturing of small SMD 3D antennas with low tolerances in order to bring to market a product that offers high precision, full isotropy and the highest quality guarantee. Depending on the customer requirement, the company offers different customization options.
